


Summer of '19

by cherrysprite



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Bisexual Liam Dunbar, Falling In Love, Fluff and Angst, Gay Theo Raeken, Implied Sexual Content, Liam is a lifeguard, M/M, Minor Angst, Mixtape, Ocean, Past Liam Dunbar/Brett Talbot - Freeform, Past Liam Dunbar/Hayden Romero, Seashells, Summer, Summer Fling, Sunsets, Theo Raeken Loves Liam Dunbar, There's a tag for ocean sex and I'm pretty concerned, beach, but not really, don't worry theo doesn't drown or anything
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-19
Updated: 2019-07-19
Packaged: 2020-07-08 08:20:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,953
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19866448
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cherrysprite/pseuds/cherrysprite
Summary: Liam's lifeguard job and Theo's extended family vacation both become a lot more important to the two of them, and it all started with Theo and a handful of seaweed.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> To preface, this uses two features I've never used before: images and links. The links I can't really help with, but if the images don't show up, there are some descriptions in the end notes. Enjoy! :)

The summer that Liam Dunbar turned eighteen, Theo Raeken and his family came down to the beach to spend the last two months of the season before his senior year of highschool. Liam met him as the green eyed boy was rubbing a damp towel over his salty hair, wet from both the ocean and outdoor shower, after bumping into him on his way back to his lifeguard post.

Theo hadn't said anything to him other than a casual sorry, but Liam thought about the little gleam he saw in Theo's right eye when he fell asleep that night, and when he saw him again the next morning, he couldn't help but grin to himself. The taller boy played with his little cousins and flicked sand on his older sister while she sunbathed, getting in the water only to toe at the shoreline. It made him wonder if he ever went in all the way, but he couldn't ask, after all; he had to keep his eye out for anything odd in the water.

That day, there was a lot of seaweed floating around, and he watched as the nameless boy picked some up on a stick and chased his smallest cousin with it while she shrieked playfully. He could have sworn he glanced up at him like he knew he was watching from the corner of his eye, and Liam's heart had skipped a beat. He and his family stayed at the beach for hours while Liam wondered to himself who he was and got a mild sunburn up on top of the stand.

The seaweed still hadn't dispersed by the third day, but after the talking to a woman, probably his aunt, had given him, the green-eyed boy had given it a rest. Instead he tossed it back into the ocean as far as he could whenever it came up to his feet, usually only narrowly missing people in the water. Liam accidentally laughed out loud once when he tossed a clod of it up in the air, expecting to catch it and only getting the resonating slap as it fell on his shoulder. 

His laughter was short lived when the guy glanced up at him, his top lip curling up in a smirk, and he raised his eyebrows at the lifeguard. Liam gave him a smirk back, watching as he took the seaweed clump off of his shoulder, examining it...and aiming.

_"Theo Raeken!"_

Not one second after there was a new addition of slimy plantlife on Liam's chest did an older woman come marching up, yelling, and Liam finally learned the man's name. "What the Hell is the matter with you? Was torturing May not enough?" Liam had watched with amusement as Theo was quite literally grabbed by his ear, dragged down to the even smaller height of his mother and pulled over to the stand. "I'm so sorry! I never thought I would have to apologize for my adult son, but apparently, he doesn't know how to act," she sighed. 

Liam shook his head, still a little red in the face from his amusement of seeing Theo so uncomfortable. "Really, it's okay," He protested, raising a hand. "No hard feelings."

"Say you're sorry to him," Theo's mom scolded, and Theo rolled his eyes.

"Sorry."

Mrs. Raeken released Theo's earlobe and nodded. "Better. Once again, very, very sorry!" She called as she walked back over to her beach blanket, leaving Theo to brush himself off. 

"Once again, it's okay!" Mrs. Raeken ignored him, and Liam looked back down at Theo. "So, is there any reason you decided to throw some sea salad at me, or...?"

Theo looked like he was formulating a response to that, digging his toes in the sand. "I guess n- wait. Did you just call that sea salad?" He stammered, laughing brightly. Liam shrugged but kept his smile on and head held high, daring him playfully to challenge it. "That's a new one. My cousin May calls it sea slugs like those aren't an entirely separate thing."

"You know, I've never actually seen a sea slug," Liam admitted. Theo shivered.

"Good for you. I went to an aquarium on my school's field trip, and they had one in a touch tank...too slimy."

"You didn't seem to have a problem with slimy when you were throwing seaweed at me, though," Liam snarked, and Theo bit his lip at the wide smile he received. 

He opened his mouth to respond, but his mom's voice interrupted again. "Theo! Quit bothering the lifeguard and come over here, he's doing a job!"

Theo sighed and looked at Liam apologetically. "Duty calls," He said sarcastically. "Good luck, I'll make sure not to throw anymore seaweed at you."

"Noted," Liam said, nodding once as he turned to walk away. "Wait, Theo," he said, surprised Theo heard it over the rushing waves.

"Yeah?" He asked.

"I'm Liam."

Theo gave him a small smile. "Well, Liam, I'll see you around."

-

Theo came back the next day, and the day after that, and they talked until Mrs. Raeken insisted that her son was bothering him and taking him away from the job. When Liam had a partner up on the stand on particularly rough days, she agreed, the blonde girl taking the whole thing way too seriously. To Peyton, Theo was 'a complete rulebreaker and example of what not to do,' but to Liam he was just 'Theo with the cute face.'

On the seventh day in a row that Theo was on the beach, his cheeks were slightly pink from sunburn and Liam got the fleeting impression that he wasn't just going for the sand and sea anymore. He caught up with him as he was almost done his shift on the stands, putting his now hot water bottle back in his backpack and glancing at his watch every so often, just waiting for three PM. "Hey, Liam!" Theo called from below, holding something in his hand. "Look at this shell!"

"Do _not_ let him toss it up here," Peyton whispered in Liam's ear, but he ignored her and motioned for Theo to throw it to him. "Liam, Jesus."

Liam turned the pale blue and brown shell in his hand, finding it was completely unbroken and still wet from when he'd seen Theo wash it in a tidal pool. "Pretty," he commented, smiling slightly. "Find it yourself?"

"Yeah, right by the shoreline. It was the only one that wasn't broken. You can keep it," He added at the end, one side of his mouth quirking up in a smile. Liam's waterproof watch beeped, interrupting whatever he was about to say, and he shut it off with more excitement than he usually would.

For the first time, Theo saw Liam get off the stand and down in front of him directly. Peyton went off in the other direction without another word, but neither paid attention. "Thanks," he said, not having to yell down at him over the noise of roaring waves now that he was close enough to hear. "I'm off my shift, so..."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Theo apologized, stepping back. "I won't keep you."

Liam raised his eyebrows. "Wait, that's not- that's not what I meant. I was going to stay for a little while anyway, are you?"

The smile returned to Theo's face and he nodded, motioning off towards where he had his own blanket set up with a sandcastle. He took the invitation he got to sit down next to him, settling in and just leaning back on his hands. "So, Theo," He started, glad to finally be talking to him. He had the seashell sitting on his kneecap, which he was only letting out of his sight to look at the other boy. "Tell me a little bit about yourself."

-

Theo's family was there for much longer than Liam could have hoped for, until the last week of summer, and he was staying not too far away from where Liam's family was. They rented a place close to the beach so they were there multiple times a day, soaking up the sun, and even though Theo often got stuck babysitting his younger family members, he still got his time with Liam. Sometimes the lifeguard even found himself helping keep them in check too, building sandcastles and keeping them entertained when his shift was over.

Theo's mom was slowly warming up to the idea that Theo wasn't just being a nuisance, and stopped apologizing for the eighteen year old's sometimes childish behavior. Liam wouldn't let her know it, but he enjoyed when he acted like the kid he really was, because really, should they be held to such a high standard? He voiced this to him when the sun was starting to set and the rest of the Raekens had walked back up to the house, sitting by his side while Theo lay on the towel. 

"Seriously, though," Theo agreed. "We're both just seniors. We haven't even graduated yet. They can start pressuring us when we're nineteen, maybe, but not now."

Liam chuckled and nodded before going a little quiet. "I just realized this is my last summer before I'm out of school," he breathed. "That's..."  


Liam trailed off and Theo looked over at him, meeting his eyes. "Guess we'll have to make it count, huh?"

The lifeguard had nodded and given him a small grin, but then Theo took a little bit of wet sand out of the bucket and smeared it on his cheek and the moment was over.

The seashell was sitting safely on Liam's dresser as they spoke.

-

"You ever wonder what you'll do after high school?"

Liam and Theo were both getting used to these kinds of talks, the ones that went on after their families left and they stayed behind on the beach as the sun set. "Because I have no clue," Theo sighed, running a hand through his hair. Liam followed the movement and wondered silently if Theo's hair had gotten longer in the three weeks he knew him. It was mesmerizing.

"I want to be a historian," Liam said, closing his eyes and tilting his head towards the sky. "I like that type of thing."

Theo grinned. "They say if you like what you do, you never work a day in your life."

Liam nodded. "What do you like?"

The word _'you'_ was on the tip of Theo's tongue, but he swallowed it back with a sip of lemonade. He looked at Liam, the thought still rolling around in his head, but instead he said "Biology," which launched them both into a conversation about an incident that happened in Liam's class in sophomore year.

Whenever Liam talked about his classmates, Theo imagined that he was there with him and not an hour and a half away in a prep school. Everything sounded so fun, Liam's run-ins with administration, the misbehaving that went down in every other period, the movies they watched when their teachers were too lazy to have lesson plans...it sounded like the life, but Theo especially wanted to know about how Liam was there. He wondered if he would get along with his best friend Mason and his boyfriend Corey, or if Liam's exes, Brett and Hayden, would bother him if he were there. 

It was at times like these that Theo wished he had met Liam under different circumstances, those that didn't make sure that after August twenty-third, they wouldn't see each other every day anymore. But for now, they traded stories about lab coats caught on fire by bunsen burners and how Theo's best friend tried to do a handstand in the caf and almost broke a table with his feet. They laughed and talked for hours that night, and it was beginning to be their routine. 

When they both had to go home, they made the exhausting trek up the steep pathway to the boardwalk together and said their goodbyes, sealed with a light hug despite how sandy they were.

Liam was barely ever at home anymore, so when he was, he didn't make much of an effort to keep things clean. When he returned to his room, he noticed that someone, probably his stepdad, had picked up all the dirty clothes off the floor and vacuumed. He made a note of it to thank him later.

A _crunch_ under his foot, however, didn't let him get too far into the room and he paused, stomach lurching. He didn't dare lift it, but when he glanced over at his dresser where it should have been, the shell was gone. 

Liam dropped on his knees to the floor and forced himself to look at the damage. _"It was the only one that wasn't broken,"_ Theo had said, and he wouldn't have picked it up in the first place if he saw it crushed into five pieces. Liam let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding as he looked down at the destroyed shell, feeling despair leak into his chest. "Shit," He sighed, brushing his hair off his forehead. He let the pieces sit for a second before he gathered them up off the hardwood into his hand and put them back on the dresser where the intact shell would have been. 

He's not right when he sees Theo twelve hours later, and as soon as the taller boy saw him he knew. "What's up with you today?" Theo asked softly when Liam jumped down from his post and headed over to him. They sat down by the water and Liam sighed out through his nose. Theo knew him too well.

He pulled the broken pieces of the shell out of a pocket of his swim trunks and held them in the palm of his hand, his thumb swirling around them. "I broke it," He admitted quietly, reaching out to show Theo his cupped hand. "It was on the floor, and I stepped on it. I don't know how it got there."

Theo's smile wilted a little, but didn't disappear entirely. He took two of the pieces out of Liam's hand before his fist closed again, and Theo put a hand on his shoulder. "It's okay," he said. "It's not that big of a deal. I'm sure it'll be okay."

Liam shook his head. "The shell was the first thing you ever gave me," he said, and he knew he sounded corny and like he was overreacting considering Theo and him weren't together, but he didn't care. "And it was beautiful."

Liam shut his eyes and didn't notice when Theo slipped the two pieces he took into the pocket of his bag. "Really, Liam, it's okay. There'll be other shells and other memories. I promise."

And Liam really hoped he was right, because crushing the shell had been a deciding point for him, the point that he knew that he was way deeper in with Theo than he expected himself to be and that there was no getting out of it. The decision? He wasn't even going to try.

-

Liam didn't have to mourn the loss of his beloved shell for too long, because two days later Theo caught up with him on the boardwalk. It was a change of scenery, but he stopped his bike and waved the lifeguard over. "Hey, day off? I didn't see you today."

Liam nodded apologetically. "Guess I probably should've given you my number, huh? Not much of a point if we see each other every day." Theo ignored the nagging thoughts of 'soon we won't,' and instead reached into the pocket of his jeans.

From there he pulled what looked like a leather string, and at the end, the last thing to come out, was the piece of the shell Liam had unintentionally given back. He held it out to Liam, whose mouth hung open in surprise. 

"My mom makes jewelry," Theo explained only a little bit awkwardly, fidgeting with it in his hands after Liam froze too much to take it. "I figured you liked the shell because of it's...well, momento-qualities, so I thought it might be better than just having a bunch of shards of shell."

"I-" Liam stuttered. "Theo..."

"You don't have to wear it," Theo rushed out, his cheeks turning slightly pink, not even from the sun this time. "I just wanted to do something with it since I knew how upset you were-"

"I'll wear it!" Liam bit out, nodding his head quickly now that he could bring his body to move again. Theo let out a sigh of relief when Liam finally took the necklace from his hand, adjusting the leather cord a little and pulling it over his head. It rested just below the neckline of his shirt perfectly, just small enough that it wasn't bulky and big enough that it was noticeable.

The shell had been thick to begin with, but Theo had gotten its edges polished a little and the surface looked shiny. "Thank you," he breathed, looking down at it. "I wouldn't have even thought to do something like this with it."

"It's no problem," Theo said as if it were just that simple. "Want to go get some ice cream? There's a really good place down by the surfboard shop." 

Liam grinned at him and nodded, walking with Theo, who didn't even mind having to roll his bike the rest of the way down the boardwalk. With Liam by his side, it was easy.

-

"Are you from Tennessee? Because I'm pretty sure I saw you on my vacation there, and you haven't left my mind since."

Liam is silent as they sit on top of the lifeguard's tower, completely breaking protocol, the sun just barely in the sky over the water. He stared at Theo with a blank expression and his normally restless fingers stay still on his kneecap. 

"And he thought that would work?" He finally asked incredulously, bursting out into laughter. When he had brought up the bad pickup lines he'd heard before (Boyfriend material, URAQT, Vitamin U/D) he hadn't expected Theo to have so many of his own experiences.

Theo laughed and looked out over the calm water, and Liam couldn't help but think to himself even through all the joking that he looked absolutely stunning. His smile brightened everything up in the dark, and he felt like the luckiest person in the world to be able to see it. He could barely make out anything else, it was just Theo and the cool wind. He wrapped his sweatshirt tighter around himself and tried to think of another. "Oh, here's another one I got, 'Was your mother a beaver, because damn' and she really thought she had done something."

"Ooh, what about 'My friend wants to get your phone number, he needs to know where to get ahold of me tomorrow morning,'" Theo traded, and Liam was almost doubled over.

"I've never heard that one, that's...creative, I'll give him that," Liam admitted, and Theo shuddered.

"I was sixteen!" Theo laughed, shaking his head. "I mean, I was illegally in a bar-"

"Of course-"

"Hey," Theo shot back defensively. "You know, you seem exactly like the type who would just melt under these stupid pickup lines!"

Liam scoffed and folded his arms across his chest. "I am not! I didn't fall for 'Do you believe in love at first sight, or should I walk by again' or anything!" He protested, and Theo just smiled wider. Liam didn't even care that it was at his expense either, if it meant he got to see that. 

They traded bad pickup lines as they watched the sun go down, each of them somehow worse than the last. "Excuse me, I think you have something in your eye," Liam said, leaning closer to Theo and pretending to look. Things had calmed down a little, the laughter having died down, and now it was quiet. Theo's lips parted the slightest bit at how close Liam was. "Oh, I'm sorry. It's just a sparkle."

Theo chuckled softly, more of just a breath in the now very shared air.

Liam didn't move away, resting one of his hands between them to lean on. 

He was at a struggle for any coherent thoughts, but when Liam licked his lips, he got an idea. 

"I like the way I can see the moon in your eyes," He said, realizing after the fact that it wasn't a pickup line but just a statement. "How the blue is kind of grey right now except for that light." 

Liam startled, his breath quickening, but he didn't move away. "T-that wasn't really a line," he breathed, his eyes flickering down from Theo's eyes to his now very inviting lips dangerously fast. "but it's not a bad one."

And neither of them really wanted to make the first move, but it was Theo whose heart skipped a beat noticeably enough to get him to pull Liam closer for the first time. His hand rested on his face so his thumb was behind his ear and his fingers brushed along Liam's jawline right before their lips met, and when they did, Liam melted straight away. His own hands came to rest on Theo's shoulders as their lips slotted together, pressing and pulling in all the right ways and leaving both of them breathless.

"Theo," Liam gasped out when they finally had to break away for air, their foreheads resting together, panting. His hands gripped Theo's sweater over his shoulders tightly like he was afraid he wasn't really there.

"I know," Theo responded, just as shaken as he was and not sure what he was answering to. "I know."

That was all that was said between them the rest of the night as they spent the remaining time mapping each other's lips, looking for every bit of touch they could have out there. By the time Liam fell asleep that night, he was light on his feet and felt like he was floating, and he same went for Theo.

-

When Liam saw him again, he was walking on the promenade with his mother and stepdad, and Theo was there with his parents. Theo, not knowing that he was mirroring Liam almost to a T, found it adorable how much he really couldn't hide a blush.

Liam officially met the rest of Theo's family while the now-formed group browsed souvenir keychains. Theo awkwardly introduced him to the other two of his cousins, April, May's twin sister, and Jaylen, the oldest girl obviously used to being the odd one out when being introduced. He met Tara, the older sister Theo always seemed to be annoying, who looked at the two of them with a knowing smirk before elbowing Jaylen, and his dad and uncle, who looked remarkably similar to him. Good genes must run in the family.

Theo learned where Liam had gotten his bright blue eyes from when he first met Jenna, who went straight in for the hug like his own mother wouldn't have. He liked her already. David, Liam's stepdad, was also a friendly and very tall man who intimidated him only in the way your...boyfriend's (?) dad should. 

Their families walked together for a few stores, Liam and Theo trailing behind in their own little worlds. They hadn't seen each other since Theo kissed him on top of the lifeguard's stand, so they both felt a little dazed and didn't look at each other for longer than it took for the other to notice. "So..." Theo started, rubbing the back of his head as their families headed into another store. 

"So..."

They were quiet for a second, Liam silently debating whether or not he should go in before deciding to. Theo followed along as he walked towards the back, finding an empty aisle. "So..." Liam said for the third time, and Theo shoved his hands in the pockets of his shorts with a smirk.

Neither of them knew quite what to do, but the charged silence allowed Liam to finally break out of his nerves and kiss him. Theo sighed into it and placed his hands on Liam's hips, unable to keep the smile off his face and breaking it. "I missed you," Liam whispered, a wide grin matching Theo's going from ear to ear. He held the shell pendant in his hand, and Theo covered his hand with his own. 

The moment would have been endlessly romantic if not for the snort of Tara and Jaylen at the end of the aisle, Tara with her phone camera on them and Jaylen desperately trying to hold back laughs. "Called it," Tara stage-whispered, and Liam had to admit he laughed a little too as Theo groaned. He just went right back to kissing him, something they both found Liam was excelling at: a fast learner. He knew how to take Theo apart in one move and put him back together just as quickly, and the older boy could never get enough.

That night at the Raekens' rented house, his uncle was the first to bring it up over dinner, and he had ducked his head in embarassment as soon as he heard the tone he said Liam's name in. "So, that Liam boy seems very nice," He had said with a completely unhidden smirk on his face, swirling around white wine in his glass. Theo's aunt poked her husband in the ribs and shook her head endearingly, Theo's parents both tried not to smile, but Theo's cousins had absolutely no remorse.

"Liam and I...uh, we aren't-" Theo tried, but his mother cut his stuttering off.

"When you asked me to show you how to make a necklace out of that shell, I was surprised, Theo," Mrs. Raeken said with laughter in her voice. "I'm not stupid, you know. Even if he wasn't wearing the necklace you made for him, I could've seen it in your eyes."  


Theo looked down at his plate, face burning hot, and mumbled, "Okay, so maybe we're a thing."

"I got pictures!" Tara announced, and her mother scoffed in a scolding way. "And a video. They're cute together. I'll send them to you."

"Send those to anyone and your phone goes straight into the ocean," Theo threatened, causing the rest of his family members at the table to laugh.

"Jesus, I meant _you_ ," Tara said defensively, eyebrows raised. "But I guess if you don't want me to..."

And since the Raekens were the most embarrassing family Theo has ever seen, they waited for him to mumble 'send them' before laughing at him again. The final anecdote for dinner that night came from Jaylen: "I mean, did we really expect Theo to meet a guy that cute on the beach and have them not kiss in the middle of a gift shop?" which, of course, no one else had known about and caused even more uproarious noise. Score one, Jaylen.

-

"My family won't shut up about you," Liam told him a week and a half later. "They're always bothering me to invite you over for dinner."

Theo feigned offense and laid down next to him on the beach towel that they had set out under the boardwalk, everything quiet now that it was getting dark. "Do you not want me at dinner?" He asked, pressing his hand over his heart dramatically, and Liam rolled his eyes and hit him lightly.

"I do, I just didn't want to make you uncomfortable. I see how fidgety you get whenever our families catch up with each other."

"That's because of my family, not your's," Theo sighed, propping his head up on his arm and pulling Liam closer so his head rested on his bare chest. His sandy hair tickled Theo's nose, but the closeness made up for it in every way. "I'll come to dinner if you want me to. It's no problem."

Liam smiled and cuddled closer to him, tracing his fingers along the lines of Theo's abs, making them both shiver. "I really like you, Theo," Liam said softly, looking up at him like one wrong move would break him. It was kind of funny, looking back, that that was the first time either one had said it to each other in those exact words. Theo smiled and craned his neck to meet Liam's lips in a kiss. 

"Oh yeah?" He asked, watching as Liam's eyes refocused out of their glassy state after he kissed him. "Well, I really _really_ like you, Liam."

"I _really really really_ like you."

"I _really really really really_ like _you_."

"I _really really really_ -"

"Maybe we should just shut up and kiss already?"

Theo had smiled just as wide as he had the night of their first kiss and lunged down, connecting their lips in an earth-shattering kiss that never lost any of it's passion. 

Even if it was Liam's second year as a lifeguard and eighteenth of being there that regularly, they both learned firsthand that night what _sex on the beach_ was really all about.

They left that part out of the conversation when Theo's parents invited him inside for game night when he dropped him off at his beach house.

-

Theo got a follow request from a name he recognized from Liam's stories and smirked to himself as he lay in bed, clicking on the account. 'mason_bh' sure enough had several pictures of himself, Liam, and some of the other friends that Liam had told him about on his page. He could finally put faces to all of them, learning who Corey, Scott, Stiles, and Lydia were, but best of all were the pictures Mason took with Liam. 

He looked cute in every one. It made him want to post him too, one of the probably hundreds of pictures he'd taken of or with Liam in the past month and a half, but he didn't know if Liam would be okay with him doing that. He didn't even know if Liam was out, or if people would give him a hard time at school if he came back with a new guy in his tagged photos.

As he scrolled through them, he stopped on one of Mason and Liam in the dark, looking significantly younger than he did then, dated back a few years. He was a freshman looking still a little too small for the lacrosse uniform he wore, but his contagious smile stole the show. His thumb ran across Liam's face and he felt his heartbeat start to speed up. He was so gone on him.

Before he could accidentally like one of the pictures, Theo clicked save on the lacrosse one and scrolled back to the top to accept Mason's follow request. He went to direct message Liam next, already knowing what he was going to say.

 **Theo** \- so...i got a follow request from someone today

 **Liam** \- nO

 **Theo** \- you talk about me to your friends? :)

 **Liam** \- i told him not to do that.

 **Liam** \- i'm gonna kill mason.

 **Theo** \- ik you're all for punctuation at the end of your texts but that's kinda concerning i won't lie

 **Theo** \- don't be embarrassed, it's cute :)

 **Liam** \- sorry.

 **Theo** \- why r you sorry? i talk to my friends about you all the time 

**Liam** \- really?

 **Theo** \- yeah. i especially liked seeing the pictures mason posted of you. makes me wish i could do that.

 **Liam** \- who's stopping you?

 **Theo** \- really?

 **Liam** \- post the picture theo, and tag me. it's not like i haven't been dying to do the same.

-

**dunbar.li09** \- no one else i'd rather spend my time at the beach with <3

_[Tagged traeken]_  
liked by mason_bh, maliatate and 434 others  
436 likes | 105 comments 

**mason_bh** : YOU GUYS ARE THE CUTEST

 **mason_bh** : I was thinkin "oh you guys are so cute" but then I scrolled to the last pic and DIED LIAM WHAT-

 **maliatate** : sooo when were u gonna tell me you got a boyfriend? smh

 **traeken** : ❤️❤️❤️ (23 likes)

 **traeken** : hey wait i forgot you had that picture LIAM (104 likes)  
 **dunbar.li09** replying to **traeken** : ;)

 **brett.talbot** : that is NOT your boyfriend.  
 **traeken** replying to **brett.talbot** : bet. why you lurking? (124 likes)

 **lydiamartin** : he has a dog?? Liam, marry. Him.

  


**traeken** : MY lifeguard

_[Tagged dunbar.li09]_  
liked by coreybryant, trace.stewart and 583 others  
585 likes | 249 comments 

**dunbar.li09:** i look like a skater boy  
 **traeken** replying to **dunbar.li09:** you look like my boy  
 **dunbar.li09** replying to **traeken:** I guess there are worse things to look like ;)

 **coreybryant:** YOU KEEP SECRETS FROM US THEO 

**mason_bh** : please, for the love of god, marry my best friend.   
**traeken** replying to **mason_bh** : :0  
 **mason_bh** replying to **traeken** : I'M SERIOUS

  


**traeken** : if liam can post a bed pic of me, i'm allowed to of him

_liked by mason_bh, coreybryant and 429 others  
431 likes | 196 comments_

**dunbar.li09** : at least you had the decency not to tag me in this on the account my PARENTS FOLLOW  
 **traeken** replying to **dunbar.li09** : what, like the discretion you used with me?  
 **dunbar.li09** replying to **traeken** : YOU DIDN'T HAVE OBVIOUS SEX HAIR AND THERE WEREN'T CLOTHES IN THE BACKGROUND

 **mason_bh** : i was not supposed to see this but these comments are gold.

 **brett.talbot:** yeah, but who had him first? ;)  
 **dunbar.li09** replying to **brett.talbot** : still him. your dick is small ;)

-

They didn't talk about it when the end of August started approaching and Theo's time started to run out. His family in the house were beginning to pack up things that weren't necessities and he was avoiding any mention of leaving, and Tara had begun to put his things away for him since it was clear he wouldn't himself. He went to Liam's more and more as the days became far too numbered to be acceptable, slipping out the door. He didn't have to tell anyone where he was going, since they already knew.

Their eyes looked at each other the same way, but they grew sadder with each day that passed. Liam smiled because Theo was there in front of him, Theo, who could still hold him in his arms and be held in Liam's, but his heart told him a different story every time Theo had to go away. Soon enough, he would be going away for good.

Of course they knew that their time was limited, and that getting into anything was dangerous and just set them up for a heartbreak, but they both knew without words that they weren't just each other's summer fling. Summer flings don't post each other and call them their boyfriends and think about each other during every second of the day. Liam met Theo that fateful day of July 2nd, and in the seven weeks he got to spend with him, he felt closer to him than anyone else.

They didn't talk about it, but their kisses became rushed and desperate when it should have been just something sweet, hands gripped on for dear life no matter how light the touch was supposed to be, and long days spent on the beach turned into six AM to midnight trips without leaving each other. They didn't talk about it, but whenever Liam looked at the calendar above his dresser, he bit back a whine every day until he finally took it down and shoved it in his bottom drawer, and all Jenna and David could do was look at him sympathetically. They didn't talk about it, but the last time they had sex, Theo couldn't hold back the tears and the taste of saltwater not from the ocean was pressed onto Liam's lips when he kissed his face. 

Theo posted what probably felt like millions of instagram stories with Liam in them, desperate to have them saved to his memories, all of the pictures he'd taken safe somewhere in case his phone was stolen. Liam texted him whenever they were apart, having nothing to say but doing it anyway. Their chests both felt tighter and tighter as August eighteenth approached, Theo's last day in the town.

The night of the seventeenth, Liam and Theo sat on top of the lifeguard's tower and looked out over the ocean, Liam's head resting on Theo's shoulder and Theo's head sat on top. Liam wore Theo's favorite hoodie, one he told him to keep, and Theo wore one of Liam's. Theo carved a 'T' into Liam's shell necklace upon his request with another, sharper shell, and Liam held onto it when he wasn't holding onto Theo.

"Theo?" He whispered, voice hoarse from the tears that fell on their own volition and from not being used. Theo sniffed, and it was then that Liam realized he had been crying too.

"Yeah?" Theo had asked, brushing tears off his cheeks. 

The words had felt heavy like lead in Liam's mouth. "...I think I'm in love with you."

Brushing off the tears was useless, because at that, Theo sobbed, tightening his hold around Liam's body and let everything out. Clutching onto each other, they cried and buried their faces into the swapped clothes they wore, staining them wet with tears they could no longer hold back. "I love you," Theo gasped out, and he could barely catch even a small, shuddering breath. "I'm going to miss you so fucking much."

As the moon rose that night and settled high in the sky, they couldn't even look at it. It was only them in their little world, the sounds of waves crashing and wind blowing through the sand the soundtrack of their story and nothing else.

-

August eighteenth was met with two boys with red-rimmed eyes and exhausted brains from staying up all night before that morning with each other. Tara packed bags into the back of two cars. Jenna and David said goodbye to Theo's parents, the friends they'd made while they were there. Theo and Liam held onto each other in a grip that strained even Theo's ridiculously strong arms and would leave bruises. 

"I love you," Liam said again, muffled by Theo's shirt, the one Liam had given him and Theo hadn't taken off. 'Dunbar 09' sat proudly across his back, and he'd wear it like a cross. "Remember, September twenty-first. September twenty-first and I'll see you again." Liam said, mostly to remind himself. Theo replayed that date in his mind like a mantra, the only thing keeping him from breaking down entirely. That was the first weekend they had free according to schedules, a weekend they'd spend at Liam's house after Theo drove down. 

"I wouldn't miss it for the world," Theo assured, stepping back from Liam just to look at him again. He had given him his bright pink hoodie that he was sure Liam wouldn't normally wear, but from the way Liam's hands gripped the sleeves and unsubtly smelled the collar for his aftershave, he'd wear it whenever he could. "You look adorable."

"I'm never going to take this off," Liam said matter-of-factly, and it would have sounded cutely childish if not for the post-crying congestion in his voice. "Ever."

Theo cracked a weak smile and rubbed his shoulders. "You're going to have to eventually. Can't let my hoodie get all dirty."

"But then it won't smell like you anymore," Liam whined, and Theo let out a pained laugh and pulled him to his chest. It was then that he planned on sending Liam a bottle of his aftershave and another shirt as soon as he got home and had postage. If he could help it, Liam could have his entire wardrobe. 

They stood in the brick driveway of the beach house hugging tightly again until they heard the second trunk close. "Theo, baby..." Theo's mom said softly, and Theo's fists balled into the fabric on Liam's back, eyes shut tight. "We have to get going."

Theo shook his head frantically against Liam's shoulder, not opening his eyes, but Liam was pulling away from him. A featherlight touch of Liam's thumbs over his eyelashes eased him to open them, and Liam had a tiny, wavering smile on his lips. "September twenty-first," Liam reminded in a low whisper, their foreheads brought together. Everyone had the courtesy to give them some privacy as Theo kissed him for what felt like the last time in eternity, their eyes both opening heavier with unshed tears. If they let them fall then, it would have been like admitting defeat. "I love you."

"I love you _so much_ ," Theo whispered back, swallowing past the lump in his throat. "And I'm going to text you every day, and call when you need me to, and-and...and...I love you."

Liam smiled through an accidental breach of tears, nodding his head. "Send me pictures of you. I need more for lockscreens."

"Just as long as you send videos of you playing lacrosse," Theo compromised through another bared smile. "October ninth, first game. I'll try as hard as I can to be there."

"Of course," Liam sighed, shutting his eyes. "Of course."

With one last pressed kiss, Theo and Liam broke apart, starting with their lips, moving onto their close bodies, hands leaving shoulders and hips, and finally just fingertips brushing as Liam reached for him as he walked off to the car. His hand remained outstretched until David put a hand on his shoulder supportively and the car door shut, Theo looking through the backseat window of his parents' car with sad eyes and an even sadder smile.

Tears rolled down both of their faces when Theo looked back as the car backed out of the driveway, leaving the two families apart and two lovers torn.

"It's gonna be okay," Jenna assured him, and Liam could only stare at the space that the car had once been, the shell necklace in his hand again.

When he managed to stop crying a few minutes afterwards, a text popped up on his phone.

_Theo has invited you to view a playlist_

_**Liam + Theo '19  
S**ongs that reminded me of you. Hope you don't cry too much, because I'll admit I hurt my own feelings with this one._

_Created by traeken_

_[Malibu Nights](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5xxhaKm1RQ)\- LANY _

_[Someone to You](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XeLaiL9tk68)\- BANNERS_

_[Through and Through](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFkLt_4sNaE)\- Khai Dreams_

_[The Other Side](https://youtu.be/j4iaY1ncWkE)\- Conan Gray_

_[Lifted Up (1985) (Album Version)](https://youtu.be/YeINWQDg7zg)\- Passion Pit_

_[i'm so tired...](https://youtu.be/fvjpE_wFL5A)\- Lauv & Troye Sivan_

_[Sunflower](https://youtu.be/ApXoWvfEYVU)\- Post Malone_

_[Lose Myself](https://youtu.be/1AEJY-2Ku0Q)\- k?d ft. PHiL GooD_

_[What a Feeling](https://youtu.be/AsZjIKHdlW0)\- One Direction_

_[Jessie's Girl](https://youtu.be/qYkbTyHXwbs)\- Rick Springfield_

_  
_

And Liam cried again to _Malibu Nights_ and smiled through them during _Someone To You_ and _Through and Through,_ only to want to curl in on himself as Conan Gray's voice drifted through his phone speaker with _The Other Side._ _Lifted Up_ reminded him of times spent at the arcade when Theo's eyes lit up, and _i'm so tired_ crushed him all over again. _Sunflower_ was slow and something he would have slow danced with him to and _Lose Myself_ described exactly what it felt like when he was around Theo. _What a Feeling_ was another one he had to cry to.

Theo had ended it on a good note with the song that wouldn't quit playing during the entire trip, all of the shops on the boardwalk (at least one a day) playing it through their speakers. _Jessie's Girl_ made him laugh, the song's lyrics having nothing to do with them but meaning so much all the same. When the playlist was done, Liam wasn't sure if he wanted to just cry to or kiss Theo for putting him through that roller coaster.

All he could think to do was send him a picture of his teary face.

 **Liam** \- [Image Attached]

 **Liam** \- I love you.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What happened after August Eighteenth

It's been a week since Liam got home from the beach, and two weeks since he had seen Theo. He spent most of his downtime in bed, recovering from the shock of suddenly being back in Beacon Hills after being in the sun for so long and thinking about one thing...well, one person. He checked in every morning and every night, even if they had talked all day, and even though Theo was starting to get busy with school preparations and very last-minute summer reading, he dropped pretty much anything to text or call. Video chats are the best, but seeing Theo's face and hearing his voice through a tiny screen and speaker doesn't do his beauty any justice. Every time he calls it's always the same thought, often spoken aloud: "I wish I could be next to you."

Other than that, the distance wasn't treating them too badly, except for the boredom and sort of empty feeling. There wasn't much to do now that Theo was gone, if Liam was being honest with himself. He met up with Mason and his other friends soon after he got home, but most of the time he was alone.

Liam opened his front door one day after he heard Jenna beckon him to get the mail, almost tripping over a rather large box in his haste to get out of the heat. He regained his balance after letting out a small 'oof,' squinting down at the label.

Theo Raeken, addressed to Liam Dunbar. 

After seeing that, he rushed to get the rest of the mail for a different reason, setting the stack of ads and bills on the coffee table and running into the kitchen to grab scissors. He manages to be careful when cutting the masking tape on the box, but it takes a lot of effort not to tear into it.

He's almost crying with happiness by the time he gets the box open, the top covered with a shirt, Theo's 'Nirvana' Tee, and he gathers it up into his hands and brings it to his face. The softness of the fabric mixed with the scent of whatever detergent Theo uses feels like home even if he's standing in his kitchen.

He sent him a bottle of his aftershave, and Liam uncapped it as soon as he saw it and inhaled deeply. He refrains from putting it on himself, since that's Theo's thing, but he kept it close by. He planned on putting it on his bookshelf where the shell necklace rested safely when it wasn't being worn.

There were pictures of his dog printed out, protected in a thick envelope with the other ones, and Liam's favorites were the ones that were obviously candids of him. He wondered which one of Corey's friends took them, or if Theo even knew that they were sent, because some of them were adorably embarrassing. There were four of them of Theo struggling to eat a seemingly very hot piece of pizza, the fifth one being him realizing someone's taking pictures of him. Liam could already tell where he's going to put them on his wall, because they deserved a spot there. There were also some of the two of them that one of his family members must have taken when they weren't looking, one of which was the shot Tara got of them making out in the middle of the gift shop. Liam smiled at the memory.

He also sent honey sticks, the note claiming that the ones from his local market were the best and that the next time they saw each other, they'd try honeycomb together. The sweetness of strawberry and clover honey on Liam's tongue was a welcome taste as he opened the last little box inside.

"Who knew jewelry making could be so fun?" was the only thing that note said, a little heart at the end of it.

Out of everything, the simple black bracelet brought tears to Liam's eyes, the engraving reminding him of the first time he ever talked to Theo. Where it could have said something like '2019,' 'T+L,' or 'Forever,' the band said 'Seaweed,' and it was perfect.

Liam got right to work on the box he was going to send Theo, grabbing his carkeys to get what he needed more of but didn't have, but not before texting Theo 'perhaps seaweed can be our always.'

-

One afternoon in September, the day before school started, Liam was in a supermarket with Mason, planning on spending their last day of freedom with a bunch of snacks. Everything was normal, the two of them laughing and being borderline obnoxious as two teenage best friends would do, until a particular song came over the broadcast.

After listening to Theo's playlist over and over again, _Jessie's Girl_ doesn't make him cry (as much) anymore, so he just smiles and looks around like Theo's there. He wasn't, but that didn't stop him from biting his lip in a grin while he tossed a bag of chips into the cart. "Dude, are you serious?" Mason laughed when he saw Liam bumping his head along to the beat and mouthing the lyrics.

Even if Mason knew the basics of their relationship and a little more, he still didn't know about all of the little things that made Theo and Liam _Theo and Liam._

When Theo got a video from Liam, him slowly zooming in on the speaker playing their song, he broke into a smile and cranked it up on his own phone, annoying the hell out of his sister but making him feel like he was where he should be.

-

After school started, things changed. Theo started posting more with his friends again and his stories weren't all whining about missing Liam, but they're still a big part of each other's pages. The only difference is that Liam apparently grew popular in the summer, so everyone was talking about 'Thiam,' the senior guy they weren't even friends with and the guy from a different city that they'd never met.

It spread around the school pretty fast, and Liam had to admit that he liked it. Being known as Theo's boyfriend was probably one of the best labels he'd ever gotten in a long time, and he didn't try and hide it. If anything, he made more of an effort not to. It wasn't because people were eating it up, even though they were, but because Liam didn't have to keep such a big thing to him a secret or keep it low-key. Theo laughed when he heard that, saying that when he came down for school dances or lacrosse games he would already be known.   


Liam didn't deny that, and it just made him laugh harder.

-

"I miss my lifeguard" was the only thing Theo's Instagram story said one night, the picture being him holding one of the printed photos Liam had sent him of the two of them. It never failed to get Liam's knees a little weak when Theo talked about him, and it was having the same effect then as well.

The next story was a countdown to September twenty-first, one that people set reminders for, since pretty much everyone was excited for Liam and Theo to finally be together again. Only eight days and twelve hours remained on the timer, and Liam could almost taste it. No matter how inappropriate that sounded.

The only thing he could talk about for awhile was Theo, and no one made any move to stop him. Normally the response was a smile or a knowing look to their friend, as if Liam hadn't figured out his feelings yet. Everyone noticed how Liam's hoodie collection slowly changed from fitting well to just a little bit too big, he had interchangeable jewelry that he wore every day (ranging from the black band to the necklace to the aqua-colored ring) and that he was overall just happier.

"My boy is in love," Jenna would sigh dreamily as if she were the one falling, and even though Liam rolled his eyes, he made no effort to contradict her.

-

As soon as Theo stepped foot in the Dunbar's driveway, Liam was out of his house in a flash, running as fast as he could to get to him and almost knocking the boy over in the process. Luckily, Theo swooped him up, leaned against his truck for support, and held him close. They didn't even have time to smile at each other before their lips were pressed together desperately, needily, and sweetly. "I. Missed. You. So. Fucking. Much," Liam bit out, each word spaced by a kiss on a different part of Theo's face.

He whined when Theo put him down so he was standing on his own two feet, and holy shit, Theo had gotten taller. It just made Liam want to cling on even more, and for the first few hours of their visit, that was exactly what he did. 

"Okay," Theo said once they were on the couch, rubbing his hands together. "Now, I know we talked every single day since I last saw you, and there are a lot of physical things we could be doing right now, but I want you to tell me every single detail of the last month. Go!"

And just like that, it felt like they were back at the beach, Liam talking about burning lab coats and Theo discussing the disgust he felt for sea slugs but not seaweed. It felt like they were o n top of the world again like they were in the summer, despite all the long-distance conversations, because on top of the world was home, and home was each other.

"Okay, so basically, and I didn't tell you this because I wanted to hear your reaction firsthand, I may have accidentally almost set half the lacrosse field on fire."

_"Liam!"_

  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Liam!_

**Author's Note:**

> I had a whole lot of fun writing this, even though I honestly thought I wasn't going to finish it. I feel kind of proud of it, but I'm not really sure yet...thoughts? 
> 
> If the pictures didn't work, here are descriptions. All of the pictures came from Dylan and Cody's Instagrams:  
> Liam's first post, three pictures -  
> 1.) Theo with a dog  
> 2.) Theo with some food looking cute as always  
> 3.) Theo shirtless looking like he just woke up 
> 
> Theo's first post:  
> 1.) Liam with ripped black jeans, and there's a pitbull there.
> 
> Theo's second post:  
> 2.) Black and white picture, Liam shirtless with screwed up hair
> 
> A shorter second part comes next, because I can't just leave these two alone, can I? :')


End file.
